Amidst the memorable Oscar wins and shocking moments of the 2022 Academy Awards, there was one joke involving The Last Duel that didn’t quite land, but shouldn’t be forgotten. Set in France in the 14th century, The Last Duel depicts the events of a legal battle between two knights (played by Matt Damon and Adam Driver) over the accusation that one of them raped the others’ wife (Jodie Comer). The script was written by Damon and co-star Ben Affleck (who together previously won Academy Awards for collaborating on the screenplay for Good Will Hunting) with Nicole Holofcener (an Oscar-nominee for the screenplay for Can You Ever Forgive Me?) and presents three different tellings of the true story, which culminates in a trial by combat to the death. It was the first of Scott’s 2021 releases, ahead of the barely nominated House of Gucci.
Unfortunately, that release, in October 2021, was still at the height of the pandemic. While franchise blockbusters such as the James Bond flick No Time to Die and the sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage did decently well around the same time, the R-rated The Last Duel targeted an older audience that generally hadn’t gone back to theaters yet. The Last Duel bombed at the box office, grossing less than half of its expected opening-weekend earnings and giving Scott his worst debut ever. A little over a month later, it was available to watch at home, via digital VOD platforms. By the time the 2022 Oscar nominations were being considered, The Last Duel was easily accessible to stream on HBO Max, and Disney also likely made sure screeners were available to Academy members. However, none of this led to nominations. Instead, The Last Duel became a punchline.
In a late-ceremony Oscars bit, co-hosts Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes walked out into the crowd at the Dolby Theatre and offered consolation prizes for the losers. One of these gag giveaways was introduced by Hall: “Now, I’ve got the screener for a never-before-seen film, not even by the director,” said the Girls Trip actress before revealing the title as The Last Duel.
The delivery of the joke was part of the problem. The Last Duel being a punchline to that setup really isn’t that harsh. Clearly, the audience has no feelings one way or another about the under-seen historical drama. The failure with such a joke is that it might just be too true. If most of the attendees at the Oscars ceremony, as well as those watching the telecast at home, indeed haven’t seen The Last Duel and maybe haven’t even heard of it, then it’s essentially a nonentity for them. In that case, the joke is really on them.
The Last Duel received primarily positive reviews, particularly for its performances (it’s even “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes), so the necessary recommendation for consideration was there. But the subject matter is pretty heavy and downright uncomfortable for a lot of viewers, especially when repeated as it is within the Rashomon-like structure of the plot. Academy members aren’t obligated to watch everything they’re sent, and it could have easily been overlooked in favor of cheerier fare, such as eventual Best Picture-winner CODA.
Given its substantial critical approval, though, the snub of The Last Duel at the Oscars looks like a case of ignorance on the part of the Academy. If voters had seen the movie, which many others (including the National Board of Review) consider to be among the best of the year, then surely they would have recognized it in a number of categories. After all, Damon does some of the best work of his acting career. Affleck is a hoot and should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Comer, who just picked up a Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie, deserved a Best Actress spot. And nods for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and other craft categories ought to have been sure things. With that in mind, those Academy members who didn’t watch The Last Duel are the real butt of Hall’s gag, not the movie itself.
